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When I'm out of town, I say Baltimore. If I just said Maryland, people would assume I'm talking about the DC area. Plus, I was born and raised in the city, so it's a habit.
I'm curious if this is a reference to How I Met Your Mother.
Haha yeah. I always laugh when Ted, a "real" New Yorker, dumps on NJ, seeing as he's from.... Ohio. Not that there is anything wrong with Ohio, but it definitely plays into stereotypes I've seen in real life where most Manhattanites who make fun of NJ tend to not be from NYC at all.
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
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I wonder how this works with Birmingham, Alabama? Maybe it's just me, but unlike other VERY high crime rated cities, it seems like whenever Birmingham is discussed it's a just a "given" that you're talking about their wealthier suburbs. However, when I see other cities mentioned that always make "most dangerous cities" lists like Detroit, Memphis, New Orleans, etc it seems like the first thing brought up is how bad the city proper is.
All the people who just lump a metro's parts together and call it "The City" are helping to aid in the dumbification of America's citizens with regards to geography, and when they do it in other countries it helps to create a picture in the mind of the person you're talking to that is akin to the map I linked to.
WHO CARES IF SOMEONE DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY KNOW GEOGRAPHICALLY WHERE YOU'RE FROM WHEN YOU TELL THEM????
Isn't that the point of education? You don't know something, then you do... that's the point of learning, correct?
Here's a little experiment:
Pretend someone asked where you live/are from. Say the name of that place out loud.
How long did that take? Half a second? 1 second? 2 seconds?
Pretend someone asked where you live/are from. Say the direction (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) from the main city. How long did that take? 1 second? 2 seconds? 3 seconds?
Pretend someone asked where you live/are from. Say the name of the suburb you live in followed by a direction from the main city (i.e. I am from/live in X, that is N, NE, E, etc... from City Y". How long did that take? 2 seconds? 3 seconds? 4 seconds?
So the people that want to "save time" by referencing the main city must really, really, really, value those 3.5 seconds they lost giving a more accurate location.
And get this!: If someone does have a follow up question, or is uninformed, they are either polite or truly want to know.
And to make a generalization for people that live in the suburbs, but claim the city as their choice of residence... it seems like people in the suburbs really aren't that "friendly" as they fashion themselves to be. They can't even spare 30 seconds to help someone learn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Devout Urbanist
I find the practice distasteful. When you say you're from a city people will take you as an authority on that city. I meet suburbanites all the time from big cities in the mid-west and they pretend to speak with authority about, say, Chicago or Cincinnati or Detroit, often echoing many of the negative stereotypes about these places one comes across in the mainstream national press. You probe a bit deeper and find out they're from some suburb or exurb and have no idea what they're talking about because they've never bothered to explore these cities beyond downtown, where it's "safe." Most of what they know about the city proper comes from the six o'clock news.
Suburbanites want to take their wealth out of the city proper. That is their right. But when they're traveling, rather than say they're from "the suburbs of X," where they've actually chosen to invest their wealth, many instead say they're from the city, partly because it sounds cooler. They're too good for the city when they're at home, but when they're abroad or in another part of the country they're ashamed to say they're from the suburbs.
I don't want to be too wordy with this post, so I'll try to keep it short.
Except for a very small minority, PEOPLE CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE SUBURBS.
They don't want the "City" and the things that it brings with it.
As an example, the Chicago Public Schools were on strike last year. People in Chicago with kids had to scramble to find babysitters and activities for their kids to do while the teachers were on strike.
Did the people in Schaumburg have to do that?
Did the people in Buffalo Grove have to do that?
Did the people in Naperville have to do that?
Did the people in Gary have to do that?
Did the people in Oak Park have to do that?
Did the people in Forest Park have to do that?
Did the people in any other suburb in Chicago have to do that?
No.
The city of Evergreen Park (I believe.. correct me if I'm wrong) teachers went on strike after the city of Chicago did. I'm sure the people of Evergreen might consider "Chicago" their hometown, but the 100,000+ kids in CPS didn't get those days off because a suburb had a teacher strike.
Let's get real... city boundaries mean a lot more than people (on C-D) give them credit for.
And to prove it, I would like anyone claiming the central city as "their own" to step up and say they would play by all the rules/laws, pay all the taxes, send their kids to that designated school, etc., that living in the "main city" would entail.
My guess is that suburbanites want their cake, want to eat it, and want more cake without having to pay for it.
If you asked college students in metro Boston (BC,BU, Northeastern, MIT, Tufts etc.) students if cambridge was part of Boston, i would hedge a bet at least 70% of the people would say yes. Why? Cause it basically is. People claim suburban wealth for their cities all the time. Is Atlanta 1/3 the size of Jacksonville? City limes are apparently only matter when its good for them.
Now if you live in another state thats one thing, but Lots of places (mostly in the south) are not living in another town, their mailing address is Houston, or Dallas despite not living in the city, they dont have a city.
Side thought on this. I have two cousins who are brothers and live a block apart in Aurora,Ill.
Both were born in Aurora and have lived their whole lives there, both are mid-50s.
One works in Aurora and goes to Chicago a couple times a year.
His brother works in Chicago and spends quite a bit of his recreational time in the city, basically he sleeps in Aurora.
I would not expect them to both give the same answer when asked "where you from?"
And to make a generalization for people that live in the suburbs, but claim the city as their choice of residence... it seems like people in the suburbs really aren't that "friendly" as they fashion themselves to be. They can't even spare 30 seconds to help someone learn.
You've got this lopsided. When you travel to a distant place far from your metro area, state or outside the U.S., the vast majority of people you meet want to know where you are generally from - as in the main city of your metro area.
If they happen to be interested in knowing about the particulars, THEN you can tell them what suburb, subdivision, city neighborhood, etc., you're from. But very few people anywhere in the world will know enough about it to even care. It's not nearly as important to them as it is to you. The suburb is part of the city, for all they care.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 05-14-2013 at 03:25 PM..
All the people who just lump a metro's parts together and call it "The City" are helping to aid in the dumbification of America's citizens with regards to geography, and when they do it in other countries it helps to create a picture in the mind of the person you're talking to that is akin to the map I linked to.
WHO CARES IF SOMEONE DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY KNOW GEOGRAPHICALLY WHERE YOU'RE FROM WHEN YOU TELL THEM????
Isn't that the point of education? You don't know something, then you do... that's the point of learning, correct?
Here's a little experiment:
Pretend someone asked where you live/are from. Say the name of that place out loud.
How long did that take? Half a second? 1 second? 2 seconds?
Pretend someone asked where you live/are from. Say the direction (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) from the main city. How long did that take? 1 second? 2 seconds? 3 seconds?
Pretend someone asked where you live/are from. Say the name of the suburb you live in followed by a direction from the main city (i.e. I am from/live in X, that is N, NE, E, etc... from City Y". How long did that take? 2 seconds? 3 seconds? 4 seconds?
So the people that want to "save time" by referencing the main city must really, really, really, value those 3.5 seconds they lost giving a more accurate location.
And get this!: If someone does have a follow up question, or is uninformed, they are either polite or truly want to know.
And to make a generalization for people that live in the suburbs, but claim the city as their choice of residence... it seems like people in the suburbs really aren't that "friendly" as they fashion themselves to be. They can't even spare 30 seconds to help someone learn.
I don't want to be too wordy with this post, so I'll try to keep it short.
Except for a very small minority, PEOPLE CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE SUBURBS.
They don't want the "City" and the things that it brings with it.
As an example, the Chicago Public Schools were on strike last year. People in Chicago with kids had to scramble to find babysitters and activities for their kids to do while the teachers were on strike.
Did the people in Schaumburg have to do that?
Did the people in Buffalo Grove have to do that?
Did the people in Naperville have to do that?
Did the people in Gary have to do that?
Did the people in Oak Park have to do that?
Did the people in Forest Park have to do that?
Did the people in any other suburb in Chicago have to do that?
No.
The city of Evergreen Park (I believe.. correct me if I'm wrong) teachers went on strike after the city of Chicago did. I'm sure the people of Evergreen might consider "Chicago" their hometown, but the 100,000+ kids in CPS didn't get those days off because a suburb had a teacher strike.
Let's get real... city boundaries mean a lot more than people (on C-D) give them credit for.
And to prove it, I would like anyone claiming the central city as "their own" to step up and say they would play by all the rules/laws, pay all the taxes, send their kids to that designated school, etc., that living in the "main city" would entail.
My guess is that suburbanites want their cake, want to eat it, and want more cake without having to pay for it.
My thoughts.
as you say that saying " Northeast of" does not take long, you use contractions which save even less time by ommiting 1 letter. Which proves the point perfectly, it is just easier to say. Let's (Let us) get real.
I'm not sure if it's been said already, but if you live east of Worcester in Massachusetts, chances are you say you live in Boston.
When I lived overseas, I would usually say I was from Boston instead of Massachusetts because my friends and colleagues had more familiarity with Boston.
Now that I live in Cambridge, I usually say I live in the "Boston area." Saying that I live in Cambridge, MA usually results in a long conversation like this:
"Where are you from?"
"Cambridge, MA"
"Where is that? Is it near Boston?"
"Right across the river...home to Harvard and MIT."
"I thought those colleges were in Boston."
"MIT is all in Cambridge and the main campus for Harvard is in Cambridge."
"So aren't they the same city?"
"No
"Same county?
"No...even if they were, counties are unimportant in Massachusetts"
"Really?
etc etc etc
Now I'm moving to Queens, NY next month and that should be interesting. When I travel the country, I'll have to tell people I live in New York City. But I won't tell anyone in New York City, that I live in "The City." That title seems to be only reserved for Manhattanites.
I have met a few people from Northern New Jersey (i.e. Hoboken, Jersey City) claiming NYC.
I'd bet good money they are not originally from New Jersey. There is an abundance of transplants roaming the streets of Hudson Co's more popular neighborhoods who desire a false sense of superiority nowadays.
North Jersey natives, on the other hand, fully understand the unrelenting, cringe worthy provincialism, generally myopic & obviously mind numbing attitude that makes NYC an attractive place to stay & move to if your only personal attribute is your zip code.
NYC natives & transplants alike are the easiest people on earth to socially filter. If the main topic of conversation is not about you, but the neighborhood in which you reside................... you're an NY zip code *****. A boring, bland facsimile of the actually interesting people in your environs.
It doesn't surprise me that some current residents of Hudson Co would make that claim; it would surprise me if they were actually from New Jersey.
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